From slaughterhouse to parklands: Georges Brassens Park

The Georges Brassens Park in the 15th arrondissement of Paris was originally a horse slaughterhouse, the Abattoirs de Vaugirard. Other animals were also killed, such as cows, goats, pigs, chickens, and sheep. Alongside the abbatoir was a fish market and a horse market. The markets and abbatoir were built between 1894-1897 and closed down permanently from 1969-1979.

In 1982 the area was named after French singer Georges Brassen (1929-1981) who lived nearby, although the park was officially opened in 1984 by the Mayor of Paris, Jacques Chirac (who became the French president from 1995-2007). In the centre of the park is a pond with a bell tower and lookout. The bell tower was part of the original fish market. The park radiates from the pond to include lawns, rose beds, groves of trees, a collection of beehives, a stream, and a vineyard. The rose garden contains 510 bushes of 27 different rose varieties. There is also a vegetable garden, a carousel, gazebo, and a rockery.

Honey from the beehives is sold at the monthly Saturday markets under a series of metal canopies that were originally shelters for the horse market.

The vineyard was established with 700 pinot noir grape vines as a reminder of the original 18th century Perichot (or Morillons) vineyards in the area. Each year school children in the nearby school help to harvest the grapes to produce about 320 bottles of ‘Clos des Morillons.’

Georges Brassens was a singer, composer, and poet who was born in Sete in southern France near Montpellier. He moved to Paris in 1940 and worked briefly at the Renault car factory until it was bombed in May during the war. He died of cancer and was buried in Sete.

Last year the Mountain Men (an Australian-French duo) released tribute songs in his memory, called Mountain Men chante Georges Bressens.

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